Attachment of a first component to a second component for any of a variety of applications may be made by any of several known methods of fastening, including mechanical or chemical fastening. Mechanical fastening, while often practical and reliable, is not always usable for every application. For example, where a first component is being attached to a second component and it is not desirable or practical to drill into or otherwise modify the second component for mechanical attachment, chemical fastening is the only other alternative. This is the case where, for example, a component is to be attached to a glass surface, the second component. An example of a component-to-glass arrangement may be seen in the automotive industry where a rear view mirror or a metal hinge needs to be attached to a glass surface. Other examples of component-to-glass attachment needs exist such as in home and office construction.
The early challenges faced by those attempting to attach a component to glass using chemical fastening included early partial or complete failure brought about due to heating-cooling cycles and ultraviolet radiation.
While modern day adhesives have generally overcome the failure of the adhesive to hold the component in place over time, problems still remain in terms of producing the adhesive material. Most known methods of production of the adhesive material are time consuming and require expensive equipment. Known methods of producing the adhesive material also suffer from a high degree of material wastage.
As in so many areas of fastener technology, there is room in the art of adhesives for adhering components to glass or other substrates for an alternative method and apparatus for preparing the adhesive composition.